Monday, September 10, 2018

Why Are You Throwing Money Away

So over the weekend I watched two players lose a combined 1k in the space of 10 minutes. The worst thing about it was that they each were up at least 40% before losing it all. Against my better judgment I tried to convince each of them to get up while they were significantly up to no avail. So this post is for anyone who may be willing to listen.

If you're not playing Blackjack to win but rather for the "thrill" of the risk (which I really don't get but fine...) then this is not for you. Carry on, but please keep the noise down. Thanks.

For the rest of you, if you're not counting cards then there is absolutely NO REASON whatsoever to double your bet after a win.

None.

Stop.

Why? Statistically speaking, you win only 48% of the time. And THAT assumes you are playing perfect basic strategy. As I've shown in previous posts, the *probability* of you winning 2 hands in a row are low. As in a 60% chance of losing. 3 in a row is also quite rare. Statistically speaking. Hence if you are going to saunter up to a table and bet $100 bucks and win. Betting $200 the next time is asking to lose it. The onliest reason to double up a bet on Blackjack is if you have an edge that calls for such a play such as the count shooting up because during the previous round a whole bunch of low cards were dealt.

I'm not even going to discuss the guy who stood on a soft 15. Not even.